


New Year's Treat

by Espeae



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 07:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13209198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Espeae/pseuds/Espeae
Summary: 1985. The Hoppers and The Byers celebrate New Year's Eve together.On that special night, Joyce tries to express all of her gratitude.





	New Year's Treat

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever. It might be a little short, but I really enjoyed writing it and it comes from the heart. Hope you'll enjoy the fluff ! Jopper forever ~

December 31st , 1985

 

A scent of meat and potatoes filled the air. As she was keeping an eye on the oven, a sudden sound created a distraction.  
She heard a knock on her door.  
Joyce Byers lifted her head suddenly towards the noise, then she saw her youngest boy run to the door.   
“Mom, they're here !”  
Her face turned into a warm smile.  
“Coming !” she exclaimed.  
Will opened the door, and two very specific silhouettes were to be seen on the porch. The drastic height difference between the two made the identity of the visitors pretty obvious. The small one's eyes lightened up almost instantly as the boy greeted them. She was squeezing the package she was holding on her chest a little tighter before the door opened, and the gift finally knew release as Eleven went for her friend's arms. They both had a clear laughter, and the girl then almost jumped to give Joyce a tender hug, that made the woman loose her balance for an instant.  
“Slow, kid, you don't want Joy to be harmed on New Year's Eve, don't'ya ?” the big man teased, a playful grin showing up on the corner of his lips. He took a step forward and got ridd off the snow on his boots. Jane looked at his gesture and repeated it without thinking. Hopper took his hat off and adressed a warm smile to Will, then turned his attention to Joyce.  
“Hi Joyjoy”, he started in a soft voice. “Jonathan here tonight ?”  
“Hi Hop”, she responded fondly. “He's partying with her girlfriend. Teenage duties.” Her glance turned to Jane. “What have you got here, sweetie ?”  
The girl blushed a little and handed the package to Joyce.  
“For you. From both of us.” she told her almost shyly.  
“Since we didn't get you guys anything for Christmas, we wanted to give you something... special.” Hopper clarified, trying to find his words.  
Joyce took the gift. Her expression was soft and thankful. However, she started softly “Oh, you didn't have to...”  
“Nevermind, our pleasure. Right, El ?” Jim playfully asked her adoptive daughter.  
The girl answered with her warmest smile and a decided nod. Joyce gave up to their cute gesture and headed smoothly to the kitchen.   
“Dinner's almost ready, make yourselves comfortable.”  
Hopper hung his and El's coats as the girl went to the living room with Will. Their friendship grew to the point of them being besties in no time. Their quiet personalities sure made quite a good match. That treasured bond couldn't make Joyce happier, seeing Jane happy was a sweet treat since she nearly considered the girl like she was her own daughter. She couldn't help but smile when she heard their happy giggles. 

The evening went smoothly and was filled with a warm, intimate atmosphere. Even if Joyce always claimed she wasn't the best at cooking, her dishes always had unanimous support. It felt true, like a family. Conversation and laughs were exchanged around the table, and soon they were finished with the meal. Then Jim helped Joyce with the dishes while the kids were picking a movie for the rest of the evening. Joyce didn't feel that light headed since forever, she thought. All the horribles events that occurred the past years finally seemed to fade and she felt like she could breathe and enjoy the moments she wanted to share with her loved ones. The memory of Bob still gave her nightmares some nights, but everything went as Hop said to her on Snowball's night. Everyday it gets a little easier. The more she thinks of it, the more she realized the tremendous help Jim represented on the whole year, and she couldn't be more thankful to his selfless temper. This night represented so much to her. A time to celebrate New Years Eve, yes, but it had a bigger signification to her. A time to give and express all of her gratitude. In order to do that, she wanted the celebration to be perfect. She knew it wasn't totally, but the happy atmosphere and the good feedbacks to her dinner were enough to fill her with satisfaction. All of these thoughts made her smile as she was drying the plates. Jim noticed her expression and curiosity grew in him. He gave her the last plate he just washed and leaned his back to the countertop. He looked at Joyce with all the fondness he had for her. He would always wonder how she could stay that beautiful despite the years that separated them from their school years. Her twinkly brown eyes turned to his direction, as she just noticed the look Jim was giving her. Her surprised features were graced by a pinkish color showing up on her beautiful cheeks. She was perfect to him, and he would do everything it takes to make her happy. He very well knew she was feeling better these days, and he was more than willing to help her through her dark times. He considered the face she made that night as a victory : no worried eyes, no nervous actions, no mood darkened by sorrow. Just her, standing in front of him, happily driving into her thoughts, delivering the most satisfying and heart warming sight he could hope for. Jim Hopper was content with how far she's come, and admired how strong and relentless she was. The face she made when she realized he was staring drove him back to reality, and he adopted a casual attitude and his usual, typical Hopper grin.

Joyce was temporarily lost in the ocean of his eyes. When she finally got out of her dreamy state, she figured she may say something. The words came almost naturally as she put a hand on Jim's forearm with complicity.   
“Thank you, Hop. For everything.” she finally cut the silence in a soft and discreet voice that was filled with sincerity. She couldn't possibly evacuate all the gratitude and tenderness she felt out of her chest, but it came from the heart. Jim's features turned even more softer, and he didn't take a long moment to answer frankly :

“You know I'll always be there for you.”

Her gaze became even more sparklier. Her thumb made tiny circles on Jim's arm, and a comfortable silence was set between the two.

But the intimate scene was interrupted by a light giggle.

They turned their faces to realize the kids were standing under the doorframe. Will's face was painted with innocent curiosity, like he was trying to figure the situation out. However, Jane was playfully staring at his dad, a smirk animating her features. Will was holding a VHS box. Seems like they finally picked the movie.

\---------------------- 

It started to run pretty late as the evening continued in the Byers house. Eleven internally wished to stay up until midnight, to be awake when the new year came. But exhaustion inevitably took over her judging from how quickly she fell asleep on Jim's shoulder during the movie. Sitting on the couch, the cop smiled when he noticed that her daughter silently drove into a deep slumber. Same happened to Will, eyes closed as he headed to the land of dreams, comfortably settled on the armchair next to the couch. An hour passed and Joyce silently stretched when the ending credits rolled on screen. The movie really caught her attention all along, soap operas being her favorite genre, just like Jane. She took a quick look at the clock in the room and realized they just slipped into year 1986. She was about to make the others aware but when she glanced at the other chairs, three asleep folks were the only thing she could see. Will's arm was pending from the chair's armrest, his head peacefully laid against it. She warmly sighed looking at her boy. Then she lifted him up and carried his peaceful body to his room and settled him under the sheets. She kissed him goodnight and went back to the living room where she found Jim, half awake, Jane curled up in his arms, asleep. Exhaustion could be read on his face, as he adressed a lazy smile to Joyce when she took a few steps towards them.  
“Got a special delivery. Which room, maam ?” he quietly joked, still holding his daughter. Joyce giggled, her hand against her mouth. The last thing she was hoping for right now was to wake up the girl.  
“She can take Jonathan's room for tonight. He's staying at the Harrington house for the night, as he told me.”   
She indicated the way to get to her eldest's room and Hop slowly laid Jane on the bed, and fondly caressed her head before putting down a kiss on the girl's forehead. Joyce stood under the doorframe and watched the sweet scene. She felt truly happy for them, and she thought Jim was a great and caring dad. A warmth appeared in her chest as she turned her ankles to walk quietly in the hallway, hand in her pant's pockets, wearing her sweetest grin. She was soon followed by Hop, and she faced him when they reached the kitchen.  
“I'm taking a coffee. Want some ? You can take my bed, no worries.”   
“I'm fine, thanks Joy. Don't worry about it, I'll take the couch.” Jim articulated with a tired grin. She didn't had time to protest when he took her around his arm and gently planted a kiss on her head in what seemed to be a mechanical gesture he made without really thinking. She could feel a sudden heat rise to her cheeks as Jim lazily headed to the living room. It took her a moment to go back to reality and she followed him to the main part of the house.  
“Hop, I insist, take the bed, I--”  
But Jim was already sleeping, his belly facing the couch. His entire silhouette hinted that he crashed out on it before closing his eyes. Joyce sighed heavily. So stubborn, but most of all exhausted, she thought. She brought a blanket from her closet a few seconds later and spreaded it all over his body. Instead of leaving the room, she stayed in front of the couch and even crouched down for her face to be at the same level as his. She stared at his peaceful features for several minutes, losing track of time. 

Then she remembered about the gift Jim and El gave to her earlier. She would've prefered to open it with Will, but curiosity took over and she slowly got up without making any sound. Then she grabbed the package she left in the kitchen and went back to her previous movie watching spot. The gift was wrapped in what seemed to be an old gift wrap, with an awkward ribbon tied on top of the box. She unwrapped it with precaution, concentrating to avoid making any noise in the process. The packaging contained a medium sized box that she opened, longing to know what Jim and Jane got them. It was a picture frame of her and her boys. She suddenly remembered the context of the picture. Jane took it during an evening spent at the Hopper's cabin with her brand new camera Jonathan offered her. Joyce never got to see the picture, but she realized how talented the girl was. She could feel all the love her family shared through the smiles they showed. She was moved from the attention of Jim and Eleven. However, the box didn't contain the frame alone. Another photo was present at the bottom of the box. She lost her breath at this one. It showed her and Jim, but... younger. Very much younger. They were sitting on what seemed to be a field she didn't recognize immediately. The memory didn't seem to emerge, but the smile which she was raising on the picture made her sob a little. When was that ? Who took the picture ? Why did the picture create such a heart warming feeling to her as she was looking at it ? It took a few minutes of contemplation for her to notice a small note on the back.

“To Joyce, the strongest woman I got to know in my stupid cop's life. 

Hop”

A small laugh escaped her mouth as she wiped the tears in the corner of her sparkling eyes. Her attention drove back to Jim, still sleeping on the couch. She put both pictures back in the box that she left on the nearest table. Then she crouched down one more time next to Jim and began another contemplation. She was slowly stroking his hair, admiring every inch that composed his face. A sudden warmth from earlier showed up inside of her, a big fondness she couldn't keep inside anymore. So she bent down a little and started with his forehead. She slowly closed her eyes and left a sweet peck on it, that lasted several seconds. Then her head went a little further down, and without anymore hesitation, she brushed his lips with her own. It felt like she was a teenager, it felt nice, it felt right, and she put all her tender emotions in the kiss.

A kiss, that deep inside of her, said one more “Thank you.”


End file.
